Archive for June, 2008

There is this girl at the college gym I go to. She is very attractive. But that’s not all. She works out regularly and so seems healthy and confident. The girl is a cute white brunette with a slim physique. Last week I made eye contact with her a few times. We both were at the stretching mats. I was finished and rose to go to the men’s locker room. As I was walking past, she looked up at me and we locked eyes for a split second. I wanted to smile, but my damn smiling muscles locked up. Since then, I haven’t seen her at the gym and am a little bummed.

Then there’s this other gal. We both were leaving the gym and I was on her left side. After several seconds I mustered the strength to say something to her. But right before I did, she dropped the cap to her water bottle and so stopped to pick it up. I kept on walking forward and cursed my luck. Maybe I’m just not meant to pick up girls at the gym.

I find that girls who exercise regularly are of a higher quality than girls you normally find elsewhere. These gals seem healthier, more confident, and have better values. But I find it is so hard to approach people at the gym. If you’re a lady, how would you like to be approached at the college gym? When is the best moment?

I’ve had several people ask me this. They are either applying for pharmacy school or have already been accepted to pharmacy school. They are crazy and want to take a non-prerequisite course to help them prepare for pharmacy school. I usually tell them this . . . “Take Spanish.”

Yep. Spanish. If you want to get a big edge over other pharmacists upon graduation, take a useful foreign language. On my list, Spanish is número uno because it is the second most common language in the United States (following English, duh). Many areas of the country have non-English Spanish speakers. By knowing the language, you can communicate with these 28 million people on how to properly take their medicine. You can really make a difference in their health care this way. My professor told me about Spanish patient who took 12 instead of 2 tablets each time. The Spanish word for twelve (doce) sounds a lot like two (dos), especially if you pronounce it wrong.

Other languages I recommend are Chinese and Japanese. I would put Chinese as #2 because of the many pockets of Chinese communities in the US. However, they are not numerous as Spanish speakers. Japanese is a #3 for me because it is a nice skill – just not for pharmacy in the US. Many Japanese businesspeople speak only their native language so you’ll have an advantage if you deal with them. But it is really rare to find a non-English speaking Japanese in the States. Who knows? Maybe you want to become a sales rep in Japan? However, be warned as it is an extremely difficult language.

So yea, do something that will help you not only with pharmacy, but with your life in general. Take a foreign language.

I’m single. I’ve been single for a long time. However, it’s not the fact that I can’t get girls. Females hit on me from time to time and if I responded, I would probably would be in a relationship. I think I’m fairly attractive, very athletic, intelligent, and I have a quirky personality. The reason why I don’t have a girlfriend right now is that I’M TOO DAMN PICKY!! I’m only attracted to supermodel type looking girls. Let me give you some examples of girls I find attractive and some that I find unattractive.

ATTRACTIVENESS (on a scale of 1-10) A one would be, “If she were the last female on earth and we had to continue the human race, I would still not do her.” A ten would be, “If I died, all the angels would look like her.”

Ah yes, the ever present question. Does your GPA in pharmacy school matter or can you just cruise with straight C’s? To the best of my knowledge, the answer is, “It depends”. Most schools are cool with just a 2.0 overall GPA. However, some require a higher minimum GPA. According to UTPharm from SDN, “We have to get a 3.0 or above to stay in the PharmD program… however, if you fall below, you have 2 semesters to bring your pharmacy GPA back up above it. If not, you’re gone.” Can anyone verify this? I tried finding written proof of this online and the best I got was from this site.

Faculty Senate Approves New Academic Performance Standards
At the January 2004 University of Toledo (UT) Faculty Senate meeting, the senators approved a new set of academic performance standards for students entering the UT College of Pharmacy beginning Fall 2004. Under the previous policy, a GPA of 2.7 or better was required for admission to the professional division. The revised policy mandates that students in the professional division of the PharmD program maintain a 3.0 GPA and earn a “C” or better in core-curriculum courses.

So does it matter if you are barely above the minimum GPA? Yes, if you want to do a residency, or fellowship, or combined degree.These are getting more competitive every year and although grades aren’t everything, it is a main factor considered. Another reason you may strive for good grades is academic scholarships. I know for a fact that my school has scholarships for academic merit. If you get good grades, this may place a dent in your loans.

Personally, I strive for a solid GPA so I can keep my options open.Why would I purposely want to slack off and close possible doors? Right now, I am leaning toward a residency. I could easily change my mind and do retail/community. However, by keeping my grades up, I will have several different paths to choose upon graduation.

Ok everbody, I’m back. It’s been a while since I posted. Probably b/c I’ve been lazy and I’ve been mourning for my Spurs. This offseason the team needs to make some changes. Keep Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili. Everyone one else is expendable. We should keep Bowen for his defense and Barry b/c he’s a reliable shooter. Definitely get rid of Horry, Finley, and Damon S. Bring in an athletic wing and a good center. This will keep us with the Hornets and Lakers.

So, to the actual point of this post. What is the definition of high and low-yield stuyding? I tried to find a good definittion online but could not. My basic definition of high yield is efficient studying where you study less but actually it leads to better performance. An example is attending review sessions where the professor tells you EXACTLY what is on the exam. In this case, bring a voice recorder and then study everything the professor says is going to be on the exam.

Unfortunately, not all profs are kind enough to give you the questions to the exams, so the next best thing is to study old exams. Old exams help you in numerous ways.

They give you the format of the test. You will know whether to study for MC questions or be prepared to give in depth answers to essay questions.

They tell you what area to concentrate on. For a pharmacokinetic test, you will know whether to worry about conceptual questions or working out actual problems.

Questions being reused. Teachers are lazy. They reuse old test questions. Normally you would get 10-20% of questions from an old exam. Just by looking at an old test, you’d be gaurenteed to know up to a fifth of the test.

What about low yield stuyding? One deadly example is studying when you are tired/sleepy. When you are looking at your notes or textbook but you’re not processing anything. STOP. You’re just wasting time. If it’s early in the day, take a 20 minute nap or go exercise. Then try studying again. If it’s late at night, take a shower. If a shower doesn’t work, just go to sleep. Another example is studying while watching TV/instant messaging/talking to somone. Doing two tasks at once is not efficient. Do one thing at a time. Check out the following link for proof that multitasking can be counterproductive.

What about group studying? It can be high or low-yield depending on the situation. I find small groups of 2-4 are good if you need help or to review. Groups of 5 or more generally are very bad. It’s too easy to socialize. Also, if you’re going to be in a group, make sure there’s at least one person who understands more than you in that course. That way, if you have a question someone else will probably know the answer. If you’re the one doing best in that course, you will be asked many questions.

In conclusion, study smart not hard. It’s better to study efficiently 2 hours a day than to study poor 4 hours a day and still end up with the same grade.